


Could You Imagine?

by Anonymous1202



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Underswap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-18
Updated: 2016-03-18
Packaged: 2018-05-27 11:00:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6282010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anonymous1202/pseuds/Anonymous1202
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A short scene I wrote between the Swap Brothers at about 3 AM when I couldn't sleep.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Could You Imagine?

Insomnia was weird, Papyrus mused as he stared at the ridges on the ceiling, finding patterns and making shapes.  
  
He'd had a tougher time falling asleep nowadays than usual, becoming more of a night owl. Being a skeleton, he didn't require THAT much sleep to function, but his daytime naps left him groggy during the day, and wide awake at night.  
  
So why was he awake? Was it anxiety? Fear? Nightmares? Those were the typical responses.  
Possibly a culmination of the three.  
  
Or, perhaps, he was afraid of having a nightmare that would skyrocket his anxiety over the edge. That, too, was a possible response.  
  
But not tonight, he simply wasn't thinking. Uncharacteristically, he felt at peace, something he hadn't felt in a very long time. Maybe it was because the room was dark, the majority of his usual worry-producing thoughts asleep, with his brother snoring in the room next door, the safety of the house looming around them.  
  
Yes, that was the reason. Oddly, his peace kept him awake. Truth be told, he just wasn't ready to let go of it yet. With the day would come worry once more, only escapable during the occasional nap. He found respite in sleep.  
  
There was a sudden sound that pierced the silence of the house. He jumped to his feet, fierce anxiety and fear welling up in his chest at the sound of his brother's scream.  
  
A series of 'what if' questions entered his mind as he rushed towards his brother's room. Throwing open the door, Sans had bolted up in bed, breathing heavily, sweat beading on his skull.  
  
"I'm sorry, Papyrus," his voice shook a little. "I didn't mean to wake you."  
  
"Nightmare?" Papyrus sat on the edge of his bed, glancing over at him. It was uncommon for his brother to have nightmares. It was typically the other way around.  
  
Sans nodded, and patted the bed next to him, scooting closer to the wall to make room. Papyrus crawled under the covers next to him, and they laid back-to-back for a long while, each wondering if the other had fallen asleep, until a voice spoke again.  
  
"Hey Papyrus? You still awake?" Sans whispered.  
  
"Yes," Papyrus whispered back.  
  
"I don't usually have nightmares. It was... Scary."  
  
"Want to talk about it?"  
  
Sans paused. "I dreamed about a human, and they... They killed everyone. Every monster, and Alphys, and you..." He started to tremble. Papyrus turned and wrapped his arms around him. "And then it was just me left, and I had to fight them, and I knew if I didn't win something really bad was going to happen. But then they hit me, and... I turned to dust, and..." He started to sob, and rolled to cry into his brother's shirt.  
  
Papyrus gave him what he hoped was a reassuring squeeze to mask how tense he had become.  
  
"It's not going to happen. I promise. We keep each other safe, remember?"  
  
Sans nodded, quieting down a moment later.  
  
Meanwhile, while his brother's anxiety was subsiding, his own was rising. Where had he gotten those memories? Those ideas? How many times had Papyrus seen that exact outcome in the resets? How many times had he experienced the death of his brother, staring down at his scarf half-buried in snow as he found his dust, knowing he would join him mere hours later, so much so that the very concept just made him numb.  
  
The idea arose, could it be possible? Could there be other dimensions? Other universes? Some far off world where their positions were switched? Where he was killed in Snowdin if a human ever appeared? Possibly.  
  
"Hey," Papyrus whispered, after a few silent minutes. "Do you ever think about what it would be like if we were switched?"  
  
Sans looked up at him in confusion. "What do you mean? Switched how?"  
  
"Like if I was the one who wanted to be in the Royal Guard, and you were the funny one."  
  
"Hey, I'm funny! What makes you the funny one? Just because you make those terrible puns?" Sans mocked in half-offense.  
  
"Oh please, I'm hilarious. You know you love them."  
  
"Psh, and I would never be as lazy as you. You boondoggle all day, what would I do with myself?"  
  
Papyrus shrugged. "Heh, yeah, guess you're right."  
  
Sans chuckled, and rolled over, with a yawn, "I'm going back to sleep. Goodnight, Papyrus. Love you."  
  
"Love you too," Papyrus resumed staring at the ceiling, at new ridges with new patterns and shapes, while he pondered the conversation. He chuckled to himself a little at he mused the thought of his brother taking his place, wearing sweatshirts and making jokes and sleeping all day long. The idea of himself dreaming of being a Royal Guardsman and nagging about "boondoggling" or whatever was even more laughable.  
  
Heh. Heh.  
  
Could you imagine?


End file.
